MAYOR’S CRIME PACKAGE INCLUDES NEW ORDINANCES ON FIREARMS, PAWNED PROPERTY

Mayor Don Wesely today released his proposed crime package to improve public
safety in the City. The package includes three new City ordinances:

Anyone convicted of theft twice within ten years would be prohibited from
pawning any property or selling any property to pawn brokers or second-hand
jewelry dealers.

It would be unlawful to keep a firearm in an unattended motor vehicle for
more than 24 hours.

State and federal law prohibits the possession of firearms by a felon. A new
City ordinance would also make it unlawful for anyone convicted of serious
misdemeanors to possess a firearm.

“One of the major factors in our high quality of life is the low crime rate in
our City, and keeping our community safe is a priority,” said Mayor Wesely.
“As we begin our Hometown Security Study of Lincoln’s public safety needs,
we must also make sure we have the best laws on the books to help police
officers do their jobs.”

The new ordinance on pawning property is intended to make it more difficult
for criminals to obtain fast cash by disposing of stolen property. Pawn shop
owners are not required to check criminal records but it would be unlawful for
them to knowingly accept property from convicted thieves. The new ordinance
prohibiting the storage of firearms in vehicles is intended to decrease the
opportunity that criminals will obtain stolen guns.

Wesely said these new ordinances will make it more difficult for repeatedly
convicted thieves to pawn stolen property. “I want to make it harder to
profit from stealing and reduce the number of burglaries,” Wesely said.
“Similarly, the ordinance prohibiting the storage of a gun in a car is an
attempt to reduce the theft of guns from cars,” said Wesely. “This is a safety
issue and it only makes sense to store weapons in a secure place, not a vehicle.”

“Last year in Lincoln, we had more than 4,600 vehicle break-ins, accounting for
well over $1 million in property loss and damage,” said Police Chief Tom Casady.
“The loss from burglary in Lincoln is even greater, with close to 2,000 burglaries
in the City in 2002. We believe many of these crimes are committed by people
seeking money for drug and gambling habits.”

Chief Casady said that over the past five years, Lincoln police officers have
investigated more than 1,200 gun-related incidents, including 11 murders with
guns, 7 assaults on officers with guns, 256 robberies with guns, and 275
assaults with guns.

Casady said the proposed ordinance on firearm possession is needed because many
people with serious criminal records are able to lawfully possess guns because
they have never been convicted of a felony. The new ordinance would outlaw
possession of a firearm in the City limits by persons convicted within the last
ten years of any of the following misdemeanors:

Stalking

Violation of a protection order

Second-degree false imprisonment

Impersonating a peace officer

Third-degree sexual assault

First-degree criminal trespass

Debauching a minor

Resisting arrest

Obstructing a peace officer

Carrying a concealed weapon

Criminal child enticement

Unlawful discharge of firearms

Introducing contraband or escape implements

Obstructing government operations

Unlawful possession of explosives, second degree

Use of explosives without a permit

Concealing the death of another person

Criminal attempt when the crime attempted is a felony or any of the listed misdemeanors

Furnishing minors with firearms, ammunition or weapons

“These misdemeanors are serious crimes and I believe that the community would
agree a person convicted of crimes like stalking, impersonating a police officer
or violating a protection order should not be allowed to possess a gun in the
City,” Wesely said.

Mayor Wesely said that in addition to the three ordinance changes, local officials
would continue to work with retailers on a voluntary basis to stop the sale of
large quantities of the materials use to make methamphetamine. The number of
meth labs in Lincoln has roughly doubled each year for the past three years.